Author Topic: "Fatherly" gods? (Read 3743 times)

bowie · « **on:** May 01, 2015, 11:41:26 pm »

Just a little background: after years of my father not being around for me, abandoning me, guilt-tripping and shaming me for things out of my control, letting me down, caring about his new family more than his biological children, generally treating me like crap... I cut him out of my life last year. Lately this has really hurt me, especially since I'm graduating from college in two short weeks, and knowing he won't be there now, despite the fact that I initially thought I would be okay with it, is really making me feel horrible. I cried on the phone to my mother yesterday because the whole situation is really breaking me down, and after we hung up, she called him unbeknownst to me. This morning she told me she did, and told him how I was feeling, and he essentially said to her that I should suck it up, that it's my fault since I cut him out, that I'm an adult now so I should be able to handle it, etc., etc. She said he was generally just really nasty the whole time she spoke with him.

My question is, are there gods that have taken a more father figure type role in any of your lives? I'm not very particular on the pantheon as I've looked into honouring gods of various pantheons in the past. I guess with all of this happening, and the fact that I effectively no longer have a father, I feel a need to have a more fatherly god I can turn to for help and comfort on various issues in my life the way I can't with my own father. I've been lacking in anything spiritual lately because of this and other things, and I think maybe trying to forge a connection with a god that can fill that spiritual gap as well as potentially take on a father figure role in my life, even as a deity, is something I really need.

Any advice, UPG, etc., would be strongly welcomed.

Laveth · « **Reply #1 on:** May 02, 2015, 03:23:38 am »

Quote from: bowie;174500

My question is, are there gods that have taken a more father figure type role in any of your lives? I'm not very particular on the pantheon as I've looked into honouring gods of various pantheons in the past. I guess with all of this happening, and the fact that I effectively no longer have a father, I feel a need to have a more fatherly god I can turn to for help and comfort on various issues in my life the way I can't with my own father. I've been lacking in anything spiritual lately because of this and other things, and I think maybe trying to forge a connection with a god that can fill that spiritual gap as well as potentially take on a father figure role in my life, even as a deity, is something I really need.

Any advice, UPG, etc., would be strongly welcomed.

I can understand where you're coming from. For years I didn't have any parental role models who supported me or acted like parents ought to. And eventually I was reached out to by two deities in particular (neither of which I'm particularly comfortable sharing at this point in my life), but neither are what would be considered to be particularly associated with parental roles in my pantheon.

My best insight though, in hindsight of course, is that it wasn't until I was emotionally ready to let in a role model in that kind of close proximity to my most vulnerable self that I was contacted. And it was a slow process of building those relationships afterward.

Work on yourself, don't wait to start your healing, and you may well be reached out to too.

Sophia C · « **Reply #2 on:** May 02, 2015, 05:41:17 am »

Quote from: bowie;174500

My question is, are there gods that have taken a more father figure type role in any of your lives? I'm not very particular on the pantheon as I've looked into honouring gods of various pantheons in the past. I guess with all of this happening, and the fact that I effectively no longer have a father, I feel a need to have a more fatherly god I can turn to for help and comfort on various issues in my life the way I can't with my own father. I've been lacking in anything spiritual lately because of this and other things, and I think maybe trying to forge a connection with a god that can fill that spiritual gap as well as potentially take on a father figure role in my life, even as a deity, is something I really need.

Any advice, UPG, etc., would be strongly welcomed.

Manannan mac Lir has taken a kind-of fatherly role for me. Perhaps a better word would be 'mentor' - but a lot of people report a fatherly or uncle-y feeling from him. My UPG is that he's keen on guidance, on leading me through my spiritual journey. He has a high vantage point of these things. In the Irish myths he's literally a father, of Mongan and others.

MattyG · « **Reply #3 on:** May 02, 2015, 01:51:26 pm »

Quote from: Naomi J;174504

Manannan mac Lir has taken a kind-of fatherly role for me. Perhaps a better word would be 'mentor' - but a lot of people report a fatherly or uncle-y feeling from him. My UPG is that he's keen on guidance, on leading me through my spiritual journey. He has a high vantage point of these things. In the Irish myths he's literally a father, of Mongan and others.

Not only that, but he's known for being foster-father to quite a few of the gods (like Lugh). He's the only specific god I've ever recognized as actually answering one of my prayers as well (even though the answer was essentially: "I'm not getting you ComicCon tickets, don't bother me with stupid shit" :p )

Laveth · « **Reply #4 on:** May 02, 2015, 02:21:58 pm »

Quote from: MattyG;174512

(even though the answer was essentially: "I'm not getting you ComicCon tickets, don't bother me with stupid shit" :p )

Bummer.

MattyG · « **Reply #5 on:** May 03, 2015, 01:08:23 am »

Quote from: Laveth;174513

Bummer.

Tell me about it. Those things sell out so fast that you need a god to get a hold on some.

Tay Redgrave · « **Reply #6 on:** May 03, 2015, 10:38:39 am »

Quote from: bowie;174500

My question is, are there gods that have taken a more father figure type role in any of your lives? I'm not very particular on the pantheon as I've looked into honouring gods of various pantheons in the past. I guess with all of this happening, and the fact that I effectively no longer have a father, I feel a need to have a more fatherly god I can turn to for help and comfort on various issues in my life the way I can't with my own father. I've been lacking in anything spiritual lately because of this and other things, and I think maybe trying to forge a connection with a god that can fill that spiritual gap as well as potentially take on a father figure role in my life, even as a deity, is something I really need.

Any advice, UPG, etc., would be strongly welcomed.

I can't particularly give you any advice as I haven't been down that road. However, I have a slight idea where you are coming from, as someone who doesn't have the best father in the world either. My father guilt-trips my mother into things and can get extremely unreasonable, to the point where you don't even seem to have an opinion in the household, as he's right and you're wrong, even if you're actually right. I've never been comfortable with my own father, tbh, as he use to yell at me for no reason when I was younger and I just never knew how to get around that so I was a very quiet and nervous kid around him.

So, I understand how that feels. A lot.

Now, as for your question about any gods taking on a father figure role in my life? Yes. Odin took on that role rather quickly, even while I was trying to get comfortable with him (because TOP DOG GOD). It helped with that a lot and I came to see him as a father. He was a bit stern, but it felt like it was more in the 'tough love' sort of way. He also seemed to give me a lot of independence, as it felt like he wanted me to venture out and explore things.

I don't work with him as much today but I still find myself wanting to honor him (and feeling nothing but adoration towards him). The idea of independence is still being taught to me by Lucifer, but more in the sense of being dependent on myself/make my own decisions, without the approval or dependence on others, particularly deities. It may be starting to kick in a bit, who knows? :p

Pteranotropi · « **Reply #7 on:** May 05, 2015, 02:03:51 pm »

Quote from: bowie;174500

Just a little background: after years of my father not being around for me, abandoning me, guilt-tripping and shaming me for things out of my control, letting me down, caring about his new family more than his biological children, generally treating me like crap... I cut him out of my life last year. Lately this has really hurt me, especially since I'm graduating from college in two short weeks, and knowing he won't be there now, despite the fact that I initially thought I would be okay with it, is really making me feel horrible. I cried on the phone to my mother yesterday because the whole situation is really breaking me down, and after we hung up, she called him unbeknownst to me. This morning she told me she did, and told him how I was feeling, and he essentially said to her that I should suck it up, that it's my fault since I cut him out, that I'm an adult now so I should be able to handle it, etc., etc. She said he was generally just really nasty the whole time she spoke with him.

My question is, are there gods that have taken a more father figure type role in any of your lives? I'm not very particular on the pantheon as I've looked into honouring gods of various pantheons in the past. I guess with all of this happening, and the fact that I effectively no longer have a father, I feel a need to have a more fatherly god I can turn to for help and comfort on various issues in my life the way I can't with my own father. I've been lacking in anything spiritual lately because of this and other things, and I think maybe trying to forge a connection with a god that can fill that spiritual gap as well as potentially take on a father figure role in my life, even as a deity, is something I really need.

Any advice, UPG, etc., would be strongly welcomed.

My instincts tell me that Nodens might be of help to you.

Gaudior · « **Reply #8 on:** May 05, 2015, 09:02:28 pm »

Quote from: MattyG;174512

Not only that, but he's known for being foster-father to quite a few of the gods (like Lugh). He's the only specific god I've ever recognized as actually answering one of my prayers as well (even though the answer was essentially: "I'm not getting you ComicCon tickets, don't bother me with stupid shit" :p )

Shiva would do that with me a lot xD

"Hey, I want a thing"

"You don't need the thing"

"But I want it"

"You do realize I'm a yogi right?"

"Of course I do! Realize...that you are...a yogi..."

"And I have given up earthly things..."

"..."

"Is it sinking in?"

"I still want the thing"

And on and on

Laveth · « **Reply #9 on:** May 05, 2015, 09:55:28 pm »

Quote from: MattyG;174532

Tell me about it. Those things sell out so fast that you need a god to get a hold on some.

I've seen that "event" (the release and selling out of comicon tickets within a minute) on Big Bang Theory (yep, I'm a dork). I kind of wondered how accurate that representation was.

MattyG · « **Reply #10 on:** May 06, 2015, 01:05:38 am »

Quote from: Laveth;174653

I've seen that "event" (the release and selling out of comicon tickets within a minute) on Big Bang Theory (yep, I'm a dork). I kind of wondered how accurate that representation was.

You go online, sit in a digital waiting room until you get moved in, slowly watch Friday tickets sell out, then Saturday, then Thursday, then Sunday, and then you don't get any tickets

MattyG · « **Reply #11 on:** May 06, 2015, 01:12:19 am »

Quote from: Gaudior;174651

Shiva would do that with me a lot xD

"Hey, I want a thing"

"You don't need the thing"

"But I want it"

"You do realize I'm a yogi right?"

"Of course I do! Realize...that you are...a yogi..."

"And I have given up earthly things..."

"..."

"Is it sinking in?"

"I still want the thing"

And on and on

With Manannan I feel that it's less about giving up material things and more that that's just beneath him. The Tuatha De have more important things to deal with. Should have taken that kind of request to a brownie or something

Sophia C · « **Reply #12 on:** May 06, 2015, 02:55:20 am »

Quote from: Gaudior;174651

Shiva would do that with me a lot xD

"Hey, I want a thing"

"You don't need the thing"

"But I want it"

"You do realize I'm a yogi right?"

"Of course I do! Realize...that you are...a yogi..."

"And I have given up earthly things..."

"..."

"Is it sinking in?"

"I still want the thing"

And on and on

*giggles*

It's so funny how different gods approach these things in different ways. Beara is all "You want what? I don't understand why you care about things that are not mountains. You are strange."

Laveth · « **Reply #13 on:** May 06, 2015, 03:35:47 pm »

Quote from: MattyG;174663

You go online, sit in a digital waiting room until you get moved in, slowly watch Friday tickets sell out, then Saturday, then Thursday, then Sunday, and then you don't get any tickets

D'aw that just sounds like slow torture. :p

Jainarayan · « **Reply #14 on:** May 07, 2015, 10:12:57 am »

Quote from: bowie;174500

My question is, are there gods that have taken a more father figure type role in any of your lives?

My father was a bit distant too. I think it was how he was raised, with a distant father, himself. So I never really had a father figure. But I have a big brother, buddy, fulltrui (trusted friend) in Thórr, rather than a father figure. Other than that, I can't say any deity has been a father figure to me, not that it's bad, it just hasn't happened nor do I expect it to.

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Author Topic: "Fatherly" gods? (Read 3743 times)

bowie

"Fatherly" gods?

Laveth

Re: "Fatherly" gods?

Sophia C

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MattyG

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Laveth

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MattyG

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Tay Redgrave

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Pteranotropi

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Gaudior

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Laveth

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MattyG

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MattyG

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Sophia C

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Laveth

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Jainarayan

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